A high view of the Upper Santa River shown from behind the Seven Oaks Dam on Thursday, April 21, 2016. The Environmental groups say the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers should use some of the water behind the dam to periodically flood the Santa Ana River, creating habitat for the Santa Ana sucker fish and the San Bernardino kangaroo rat. (Staff file photo/The Sun)

SAN BERNARDINO >> Sixteen years after the completion of the Seven Oaks Dam, two environmental advocacy groups on Monday announced their intent to sue the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for its failure to assess how the dam may have harmed the federally protected Santa Ana sucker fish and San Bernardino kangaroo rats.

The official notice gives the federal agency 60 days to meet with the potential plaintiffs and resolve the issues, said Ileene Anderson, a senior scientist with the Center for Biological Diversity.

Officials with the Army Corps of Engineers — operator of the Seven Oaks Dam — did not respond Monday to a request for comment.

The center and the Endangered Habitats League allege the Corps, in violation of the federal Endangered Species Act, never consulted with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service about how several Santa Ana River flood-control projects, including the Seven Oaks Dam, could impact the Santa Ana sucker fish and its federally designated critical habitat. It also has not considered new information, including changes in dam operations.

The 550-foot-tall Seven Oaks Dam is about 4 miles northeast of Redlands, and is part of what officials call the Santa Ana River Mainstream Flood Control System, which also includes Prado Dam. It is intended to reduce flood risks in San Bernardino, Riverside and Orange counties.

In a telephone interview, Anderson said that the Corps has not lived up to an agreement to occasionally flood the Santa Ana River to help create needed habitat for both the sucker fish and the kangaroo rat.

Managing the Santa Ana River to enhance the wildlife that depends on it also helps to ensure water quality and quantity for the people who depend on the river, she said.

Anderson said there have been many conversations with Corps officials, but none has resulted in action.

The Army Corps and Fish and Wildlife Service originally consulted on impacts to the endangered Santa Ana River woolly star plant and the San Bernardino kangaroo rat in 2002. But new critical habitat was designated for the Santa Ana sucker fish in 2010, and the Corps has never considered the effects of the overall operation of the Santa Ana River Project on the species, a joint statement by the Center for Biological Diversity and the Endangered Habitats League said.

“The Army Corps needs to follow the law and do its duty to the American people by consulting with the Fish and Wildlife Service to identify and remedy any harm resulting from mismanagement of the Santa Ana River,” Anderson said in the statement.